True Love Can't Be Found Where It Doesn't Exist
by Meilin Li
Summary: Meiling has come to some conclusions about her life. But why is she suddenly requested to go back to Hong Kong? And what's lurking in Tomeoda...? This fanfic is on hold, until I get the interest to write more...
1. Thoughts

All characters portrayed here are the property of CLAMP and not mine. Well, except for the people I'll make up. ^_^ The situations are what came from my little head and if it is similar to anyone else's then its coincidental and I'm sorry. But I probably did pick up a few ideas from reading other people's stories and so I will say....There might be some situations that are from other people's stories that I put in here mindlessly after I read their fanfic on Fanfiction.net

email me with comments if you want to at lil808angel@hotmail.com ^_^

****

The winds blew, flapping black midnight hair around a contrasting peach colored face. Her frail arms wrapped around her knees in the cold darkness of the night as she sat on the roof top of her home. Or at least what was currently her home. She let out a small sigh as she stared through crimson colored eyes at the neighboring houses.

At a far distance she could spot out an enormous mansion, and see a couple arguing in the shadows of the well lit home. Not far from there her eyes rested on a olive colored roof top with toys stranded on it. Resisting her kid-like self to bound over there and take something, she tore her gaze away and stared at the clock tower which was just about to strike 12.

She bent her head down so the daily toll of the bells would be stifled by her clothes, but a flash of lighting caught her eye. She curiously watched as a girl with a pink lacy dress and fake glittering wings attached to her back flew on the key of Clow toward a swirling mass of red and orange. As the girl neared the mass, the clock stroke 12 and the mass suddenly zipped away and disappeared into a nearby forest. Looking disappointed the auburn haired girl flew down onto the ground and was greeted by a boy with auburn hair and a small yellow creature which hovered near her face. A couple feet away, a girl with dark locks stood with a camera filming the whole ordeal.

Meiling turned away and put her head down to her knees, wrapping her arms tighter around herself. She guessed she dozed off, because a while later she could hear the quiet chattering of two girls and a small winged beast.

"I can't believe it got away again." complained a weary Sakura Kinomoto. 

Beside her Tomoyo Daidouji giggled and comforted her with a cheery voice, "Worrying will give you wrinkles Sakura and you will catch that card sooner or later!"

"Hmmm," Kero mused, "I believe that the clock somehow scared it when it tolled. Tomorrow night we must come a little earlier so that it doesn't toll while you're trying to capture the card." Sakura sighed and hung her head down. 

Syaoran picked his gaze up from the ground and turned it to Sakura with a rare smile. "Don't worry Sakura, you'll catch the card, but hopefully before school starts." 

"Hoeee!! I almost forgot school is going to start soon!" exclaimed the emerald eyed teen. Tomoyo smiled with shining eyes and said, "I have lots of costu-"

It was then that Meiling decided she didn't want to hear anymore of the Cardcaptor's conversation, she silently jumped off the roof, grabbed onto a tree and flipped to the ground with a soft thud. She was sure Syaoran heard her, he heard anything and everything that happened. Running quickly she climbed a tall tree near her window and slipped into her room before they got to the house. She could hear a chorus of good-bye's as everyone went their separate ways. 

Jumping under her covers, she heard the front door close and soft thuds as Syaoran came up the stairs. A small click sounded as the light came on in the hallway and Syaoran's shadow stopped in front of her door. Meiling held her breath not really sure of what Syaoran was doing at her door. Hesitantly his shadow turned off the light with another click and he went to his room. Meiling let out a sigh for the second time that night and drifted off into a restless sleep dreaming of a boy with caramel eyes and hair. 

Sharp chirps came in through the windows along with the rays of the morning sun awakening Meiling as she grumbled and got out of bed. Looking at her clock in the corner farthest away from her, it read 6:37. Trudging to the kitchen Meiling started to make breakfast careful not to make too much noise for she would wake up Wei or Syaoran. She hated to get up early in the morning if it wasn't for a good reason. And getting books for the first day of school tomorrow was not a good reason. 

She thought back to last night when she saw Syaoran run out of the house to capture another card with Sakura. She had decided earlier that week that she wouldn't go on anymore of the Cardcapturing trips they usually went on in the middle of the night. The person who brought the decision about was him, Syaoran. He never acted like she belonged with the group. Whenever she tried to help he would tell her they didn't need it and push her away.

He, the one she loved with all her heart, didn't need her. I should've known she thought. She wasn't much use back in China why would she be of any use now? She was the only one of the Li Clan born without magic, ever. But Syaoran was. He was the most powerful magician in the history of the Li Clan, not including Clow Reed. Of course he didn't need her, why would he? He always told her that he didn't want her there because he was afraid she would be hurt, but she had trained in martial arts with him, ever since they were kids. So she did have some kind of protection for herself. 

He was always so cold to her, even if they were childhood friends. Childhood friends? Ha, yeah right her mind told her. If you were childhood friends, would he act so cold and ignore you? She shook her head with a sigh and jumped when someone put their hand on her shoulder. 

"Meiling, what are you doing? You're going to set the house on fire!" It was only now that Meiling noticed the burnt food in the pan, lifting the pan up, she quickly turned off the stove. "What are you doing Meiling?" the voice of Syaoran repeated. "If you're going to cook, pay attention and stop day dreaming." 

Mumbling an apology she looked down and took the pan to the sink without another word. She washed the pan and cleaned everything up in silence, all the while Syaoran watched her surprised that she didn't yell back at him. She bounded up the stairs saying something about changing her clothes so they could pick up the books, leaving him standing there in thought. He sighed and went up the stairs too but instead of going into his room he went to knock on hers. 

"What is it?" yelled Meiling's voice loud and clear. "Can I come in? I have something to ask you." He heard a click as the door was opened and he was let into her room. She made herself busy by cleaning up her things and motioned for him to sit down. He took a seat on her bed and said, "Why weren't you there last night?"

"Where?" she asked pausing and looking slightly confused. "You know where Meiling."

"Oh. You mean _there_. Well I decided that I wouldn't interfere with the Cardcapturing anymore, since I can't do anything anyway." She returned to cleaning with her back to him. "Like you said, I would be better off staying at home and out of the way." 

Again there was a silence among the two. There seemed to be a lot of those going on around them lately. But neither could figure out why. Perhaps they were growing apart as friends and they didn't feel comfortable telling anything to each other anymore. Or perhaps it was the awkwardness of knowing each other their whole lives and being able to understand what the other thought. But that seemed to be gone now.

"Come on, we want to catch up with the others right?" Meiling said with a gentle smile as she realized it was 7:45. She walked out of her room and downstairs leaving Syaoran alone with deep thoughts of the conversation they just had. A moment later he came downstairs dressed to go, expecting Meiling to be waiting for him. He frowned when he noticed she wasn't there in the living room, "Meiling!" he yelled. "C'mon! Lets go! Meiling! Where are you!"

With a scowl on his face he walked outside trying to find Meiling. "Meiling!" "What is it Syaoran! You really are loud you know that." She said as she jumped down from the roof with a serious face. He just ignored her and started to walk toward the school. Meiling stared after him and after a while followed him. 

The was air filled with hints of joyfulness and nervousness on the school grounds of Tomeoda High. New kids and old were clamoring to different booths which held a sign with the first letters of their last names. Meiling scanned the grounds for any familiar faces as she kept an eye out for Syaoran, whom she had lost in the crowd when they arrived.

She had walked around a couple times looking for Syaoran, but he was nowhere to be found. With a defeated sigh she made her way over to the booth marked with a letter 'L' for her assigned classes. This was her second year in highschool, so she was pretty familiar with the school and the teachers. (AN: Japanese highschools are only three years, compared to the four years required for American highschools.) As she stood in the relatively short line she heard numerous conversations happening around her. One in particular caught her ear as she nonchalantly eavesdropped in on the gossip,

"Have you heard about the new kids? There's a couple of them that just transferred from America. They're supposedly staying in Tomeoda for two years to learn the Japanese culture, " said one girl who sported a black pony tail. 

"I heard they were all guys! And they're all in their second year of highschool." Squealed an anxious blue eyed girl. 

"Really?! That means they're in our grade! American's are so cute," sighed the first girl. 

Meiling rolled her eyes, but thought she should at least pay a little attention because students that transferred to Tomeoda tended to be a bit odd to say the least. Just look at her, Syaoran and Eriol. She would definitely have to check them to make sure they weren't trouble. When it was her turn Meiling got her books for her classes and sat down at the curb to watch for Syaoran. 


	2. Strangers

The hot sun was beating down on her like an oven roasting peanuts. She was just about to get up and trudge home when something, or rather someone slammed into her, full force. The force pushed her onto the floor, and she landed on her back. She groaned out of annoyance and sat up with a glare, ready to give whatever pushed her down a piece of her mind. 

"Watch where you're going!!" she yelled. She winced when she realized that it was a little boy that crashed into her. Sitting on the floor a couple of feet away, he was on the verge of tears. Or so it looked. 

Afraid that anything loud would upset him, it almost came out as a soft whisper. "What's wrong?" she asked. His hiccuping sobs filled the atmosphere and Meiling got up with a sigh and helped him to the curb. 

"Now, what's wrong?" she repeated, trying to look him in the eye. Not knowing what to do, she put a reassuring hand on his back to comfort hm. After what seemed like a eternity the boy's sobs subsided and he told her his story. 

"My name is Aidan," he sniffed. "My brother is somewhere back there and I can't find him." His little hand gestured toward the large crowds of people lined up at the booths. The little boy had messy black hair and bright blue-green eyes. He looked about 7 or 8 years old. 

Meiling smiled, "How 'bout I help you look for your brother huh?" Soon the sniffling stopped and was replaced with a soft warm smile, as a dimple appeared in his left cheek. 

"There that's better isn't it Aidan?" she said as she picked up her books and took a hold of his right hand. As they walked toward the crowd his voice piped up, "What's your name?"

"Oh, my name's Meiling Li," she said as she looked down at him. "Now what does your brother look like? Maybe I can spot him out." 

"He's 16 and has black spiky hair and the tips are dyed red. .....Uhm he has green eyes, and he's a little bit taller than you," Aidan said, as his face scrunched up, while he tried to pull up an image of his 16 year old brother in his mind. 

"Okay lets see what we can do with that." She strained her eyes looking for a teenager that fit Aidan's descriptions, but at the same time she kept an eye out for Syaoran. 

After a short search Aidan shouted out, "Ben!" and started to tug Meiling toward a bunch of guys that stood under the shade of a tall tree. Wiggling free from Meiling's hand Aidan jumped into his brother's arms with a big hug. "There you are squirt, been wondering where you were," said an obviously worried older brother. 

"Meiling, helped me find you!" Aidan said beaming at Meiling. Ben put Aidan down on the floor and stuck out his hand to her. 

"Thanks, Meiling. I'm Ben Sallas. " he said with a smile that showed a dimple on each side of his cheek. 

"You're welcome," she said as she took his hand. Meiling smiled as she saw the uncanny resemblance between the two brothers. "I don't mean to be rude, but you guys aren't from around here are you?" she asked after a little moment of silence as her curiosity got a hold of her. 

"Nope," chirped Aidan. "We came from California, Ben and his friends are gonna studing here in Japan." 

"Oh, you're the transfer students from America," she said as she raised an eyebrow. "You guys are _pretty_ popular you know."

"Really?" replied Ben with a smirk. "Oh by the way this is Scott and David," he said referring to the two guys that stood with him. She looked over at Scott who had spiky blonde hair, a muscular build and sparkling blue eyes, she noted. David, on the other hand, was like the complete opposite of Scott, he had wavy dark hair, a slim but slightly muscular figure and glasses over his clear hazel eyes. She gave them each a smile and excused herself, promising to see them around school once it started. 

Walking away sulking, she looked once again for Syaoran. Patience was not one of Meiling's virtues and she was annoyed that Syaoran ditched her, yet again. Giving up, Meiling made her way back to the house. When she got there she slowly went up to her room and sprawled onto her bed sighing. Out of exhaustion, she soon drifted off to sleep. 

When Meiling woke up, she felt her stomach grumble at her for not eating anything for breakfast. Stealing a glance at her clock she noticed it was almost 3. She decided she would go get something to eat as well as some air. Going to her dresser, Meiling ran a comb through her long black hair and fixed it into the two usual buns on top of her head. 

Something made her stop for a moment as she stared at herself through her own ruby eyes. Her bangs were gone now, she had grown them out a while ago. There was no other reason for that, than simply her desire to change something about herself. As if a switch was suddenly turned on, her eyes gave a slight sparkle and her mouth curved into a smile. She grabbed some money out of a jewelry box on her dresser and a jacket from the closet all the while humming a Chinese tune, and walked out of the house.

Meiling strolled into a bakery, savoring the sweet aroma of freshly baked goods. Buying two glazed donuts and a water, she sat down in a chair. Her eyes rested on the displays behind the big pane of glass, which held scrumptious looking birthday cakes. Looking at the birthday cakes she suddenly remembered it was going to be Wei's birthday soon. A petite smile graced her features as she eyed one cake in particular. It was a Lemon Bundt Cake, Wei's favorite. The cake was made with pudding and lemon-lime soda which made it moist and delicious. 

Blinking she also remembered that Tomoyo's birthday was coming up. Knowing the dark haired camera girl, she would probably hold an immense party at her mansion, courtesy of her own mother, Sonomi Daidouji. Meiling sighed, she would have to go shopping for a present after she finished her food. While trying to decide what present would be perfect for Tomoyo, a group of people walked into the bakery. Okay, it was more like two teenage boys surrounded by a group of teenage girls. 

The first boy she noted, was the spiky haired blonde from earlier. She searched her mind for his name. Scott, her mind finally spit out. The second boy, whom she had never seen before, had tousled blonde hair and dark blue eyes that looked almost black from where she was sitting. Not feeling like talking at that moment, Meiling slipped out of the bakery, unnoticed, avoiding a encounter with them. 

Meiling walked by countless windows, deciding what to get for Tomoyo. Perhaps a new camcorder? No, she has a good one already. A couple of blank tapes? No, she probably had many of those too. Maybe jewelry box? Hm..maybe, she thought. As she walked by an antique shop, something caught her eye. Smiling she made her way into the shop and picked it up. A music box. The box was made out of wood, with gold trimming along the edges. There was a Sakura tree engraved on the top of the box. Little Sakura petals graced the otherwise unadorned sides. 

Triumph was in her eyes as she set the box down so she could look around the dusty old store. Along the top walls were beautiful paintings of scenery, painted with the colors of sunset. Walking closer to one sitting on the floor, she felt like she was being pulled into it. White foam edged colorful tints of blue, as it ended on tawny colored sand. Once again smiling, she picked up the poster sized painting and turned around for the music box. She scowled as she saw someone pick up the box before her.

"Excuse me, I believe that box belongs to me," Meiling said in a exasperated voice. 

"Really? I didn't see your name on it," retorted the tousled blonde haired boy from the bakery, as he turned around.

"But I was looking at it first," Meiling shot back. 

The boy only smirked at her aggressiveness and pointed out, "But I plan on buying it, so technically, it's not yours anymore, now is it?"

Meiling put the painting on the floor gently and crossed her arms against her body. She was not going to lose this fight to some dumb blonde kid. "You're not buying it, because I'm buying it," she said irritated.

"Watch me." Was his only reply as he walked to the counter and told the owner to wrap it up. As he made his purchase Meiling glared at him obviously fuming. She walked out the door and stood outside leaning on the wall, arms crossed against her body once again. As he stepped out of the store with his prize, Meiling stopped him with her arm. 

"Where do you think you're going?" she said as she glared at him.

"Where else? I'm going home." He held up the bag containing the music box with two hands "With this," he added another smirk. 

"You're not going anywhere until I get that music box boy," she replied. His ignored her and started to walk down the street. Meiling followed him until he turned around and said, "Oh yah, weren't you going to buy that precious painting I saw you holding?" 

With a frustrated growl Meiling marched back into the store and bought the painting. When she came back outside, the boy was gone. With another growl Meiling walked back home in the already dark sky.

__

Yay! done wiff another chapter..kinda..heh..well review, review!! o.o;; pretty please? 


	3. Changes

Deep dazzling emerald eyes met shy amber ones, as their owners began a quiet conversation about something. Scoffing Meiling turned her undivided attention to her food, the food she was _supposedly_ eating. But how can she eat when her mind was thinking about the owners of those emerald and amber eyes? Just the thought of them sitting together in the heated afternoon sun made her nauseous. It didn't help the fact that they were sitting 15 feet away from her, under a flowering cherry blossom tree. The scene reminded Meiling of something out of a movie. There was only two words to describe the scene: sickeningly sweet.

She turned her back to them and sighed. Deep in thought of the Chinese boy, she picked at her left over lunch. A shadow was cast on her as someone stood next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and dropped her lunch. 

"What are you doing scaring people like that!? Do you want me to have a heart attack!?" It was more of a surprised statement rather than a mad one, but her voice did raise a pitch. 

"Sorry, I thought you'd like to know that the bell for class already rang," the black haired boy stated matter-of-factly. She glared at him and bent down to pick up her dropped lunch. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move. It made her feel uneasy.

"What do you want Ben?! Shouldn't you be in class?!" she practically yelled. 

He winced at her yelling and muttered under his breath, "My, my aren't we lady like?"

She growled and threw her lunch in the trash can and stalked off towards the school gate. She could hear him calling after her, "HEY MEILING! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! CLASS IS THIS WAY!" 

"I have more important things to do!" she muttered as her eyes watered up. She picked up her pace toward the gate and hoped he wouldn't follow her.

Meiling slowed down as she neared Kami Cutters, a hair cutting salon. (AN: I didn't know what else to put, forgive me. -.-;) She stood outside glancing at the sure gestures of a man while he cut a blonde woman's hair. With a deep breath Meiling pushed open the door and walked inside.

An hour later, a apprehensive Meiling walked out. She didn't know whether or not others would like her new hair cut. Who? Your so called friends? A voice inside of her said. Syaoran who left you for Sakura? You don't have any friends anymore remember? You're all alone, just like before, before you met Syaoran. Meiling turned her head toward the glass to look at her reflection. The two buns were gone. Her bangs were gone too, the front of her hair was now parted and framed her peachy colored face. The rest of her long black hair was now layered and hanging half way down her back. She had cut off almost five inches.

Just yesterday, the thought of getting a new image brought a smile to her face and lifted up her dull spirits. But now, she wasn't so sure she wanted to part with the old memories that accompanied her old image, for it was a part of her. A part of herself in which she would never have the power to let go of. For if she did, then what was she? What was left? 

Still, what's done is done and she couldn't change that now. It was too late, nevertheless she knew she would never let go of the past, for whatever reason. The past was what made her who she was, inside and out. Briefly she wondered why she had welcomed the change so quickly, perhaps it was to hide the fact that she wasn't over Syaoran, as everyone thought she was. Or perhaps it was to hide the fact that she was in her own way innocent and fragile too.

__

Eep. This was really short. I don't even know how to continue this story. I've got writer's block! ::sob:: Review please? :D


	4. Memories

"Meiling..." 

"....."

"Meiling..." 

"....."

"Meiling!!" 

"WHAT!!" she shouted as her head snapped to look up. Immediately she groaned from the pain her neck emitted. 

A smirking Eriol Hiiragizawa looked down at her. "Something the matter Meiling?" 

"Shouldn't you already know Clow?" she retorted. 

Eriol kept his face straight and sat down on the bench beside her and simply asked, "Syaoran?."

Meiling glared at him and put a hand to her stiff neck, caressing it slowly. "Well if you already know then why did you bother to ask?"

Meiling didn't give him a chance to answer and abruptly changed the subject. "Why don't I have magic?" For the first time in her life, Meiling saw Eriol's eyes flicker with something besides knowledge, sympathy. He didn't answer her. 

"Why Eriol?? Answer me!!" she was going to demand an answer out of him. "Please.."

"Honestly, I don't know Meiling. You were suppose to have magic, but.." He paused.

"But what! How come that Sakura Kinomoto has magic and I don't?! She's not even part of the Li clan! How can someone like her have magic but not me?!" she yelled with frustration. 

For the second time that night, Eriol surprised Meiling and himself. "STOP PITYING YOURSELF MEILING! SAKURA HAS POWERS! SO WHAT!? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?! SIT AND CRY? WHINE? COMPLAIN?" He flinched, instantly regretting what had just came out of his mouth. 

Eriol sighed and lowered his voice when he saw her wide eyes teeming with silent tears, "What I'm trying to say is, stop looking at what you don't have and look at what you do have." 

Shaking his head apologetically, he assisted her up. "C'mon Meiling. Let's get you home." Quietly he led the rigid girl to her house. 

Something soft and comfortable was around her body. The gentle smell of Wisteria (AN: They're flowers. ^_^) drifted into her nose as she breathed in. Opening her eyes, she saw the familiar surroundings of her room. Throwing off her covers, she got out of bed. Shivering she walked over to her slightly opened window and closed it with a soft thud. Quickly throwing on her uniform and running a brush through her now shorter hair, she grabbed her book bag and walked into the hallway. The smell of croissants and hot chocolate overwhelmed her and a low grumbling sound was made by her stomach. 

Eriol's conversation from last night had hit some sense into her. She realized that by letting Syaoran be free, she was also setting herself free. She would give anything to make him happy, and if Sakura made him happy, then so be it. She would give them her blessings. But that didn't mean the pain would just disappear suddenly. But that also meant that she couldn't let anyone see the pain that it caused her...now can she? She smiled at herself once more in the mirror, just to make sure there were no faults in the fake smile. 

Bounding down the stairs she walked into the kitchen and smiled at Wei. "Good morning. Breakfast smells good!" 

"Meiling!" Wei said in awe as he turned around to face her. "You cut your hair!" 

"Nice of you to notice Wei." Meiling said with a smile on her face as she twirled around for him to see. "Like it?" 

"Like it? I love it! You look beautiful! You're growing up right before my very eyes." Wei said as he smiled warmly at her. "I remember when you were just a little girl, with only two buns for hair...." Wei went on in a trance-like state until a gruff voice broke him from his reverie, "Mornin." 

"Morning Syaoran. Have you seen Meiling's new hair style?" Wei said as he handed the two a plate of croissants and hot chocolate. "Doesn't she look beautiful?" 

Syaoran looked over at Meiling and frowned. "Now why did you go and do that for? Now you look stupid." 

Meiling glared at him, "It's my hair! I can do whatever I like with it!" 

Syaoran glared back and soon both were in a staring match. 

Wei chuckled at them. "Now, now Meiling, Syaoran, don't fight. Hurry up and eat or else you're going to be late for school," he said as he walked up the stairs. 

The staring match continued for a minute or two until Syaoran broke it by silently picking up his bag and walking out the front door. Meiling looked after him and felt as if she was living the first day of school over again. Hopping off the chair she followed him. 

Soft droplets of liquid pelted itself against everything visible. A gentle mist perched itself upon the slick verdant grass. Fronds from the lush olive colored trees swayed in the smooth and undisturbing zephyr. A boy sat himself down by a tree and looked at the object in his hands. A box, not plain but yet not too elaborate either. It was decorated with engravings of Sakura flowers. 

**FLASHBACK**

A beautiful woman in her late 30's laid dying on an elegant bed. She reached out and held the hands of the little 7 year old boy next to her. "Let me tell you one last story," she said lightly. He put his head on her bed as he listened to his mother repeat the story he heard at least a million times already. 

"Quite a while ago, when foreigners started to buy a lot of land in Japan, your ancestors decided to move to America. They thought they would have a better life here. Because they had to bring as least as possible, they sold all their belongings. There was many family treasures among those belongings that they sold. Some of which had been in the family for as long as anyone could remember," she paused and took a couple of breaths. 

He sat up straight and watched her face as she continued. "There was one special one in particular though. It's a jewelry box decorated with Sakura flowers..." This time she added something to her story. "I want you to find it for me, can you do that?" she said looking into his cerulean eyes. 

The little boy not knowing what to do nodded faintly and looked down as tears threatened to spill. "I promise, Mama. I'll try my best to find it." He looked up at his mother, "But what do I do with it when I find it? Do I keep it?" His mother reached around her neck and pulled out a little golden key that hung on a platinum necklace. The key looked ancient to him. He took the key into his hands as she put the necklace around his neck. 

"This key opens that box. From what I know, nobody dared to open the box, for they were afraid of what was in there." She went into a small coughing fit; the little boy patted her back gently. She gave him a weary smile before continuing, "Some people in our family believed that it contains a treasure. Others believe that it carries a curse. If you find it, it will be your choice on whether or not you would want to open it." 

The little boy threw his arms around her, "Mama, I don't want you to go. Please don't go. Don't leave me like Papa did." Crystal tears slid down his little cheeks as he sobbed into her dress. "I'll be here, I promise. Whenever you need me I'll be here, I'll always be watching over you don't you worry," she said with a smooth gentle voice, calming him. The boy snuggled his head closer to his mother as he felt her breath in and out. 

In and out. In and out. In and...he frowned slightly waiting patiently for her to breath out again. When she didn't, he looked up at her face hoping that she had held her breath somehow. What he saw was her lifeless face staring back at him. He choked back a sob and shook her, rather violently. "Wake up! Wake up, Mama!"

He then started to laugh a little, "C'mon Mama, I get it it's a joke. You can wake up now. See? I'm laughing at your joke...please wake up Mama..." When she didn't wake up he buried his face in her dress again and whimpered the same phrase over and over again, "...don't leave me, you promised..." 

**END FLASHBACK**

Pain flashed in his eyes as he looked down at the box. It brought back so many memories. Painful ones. Ones he thought he had gotten rid of so many years ago. He put the box on the floor and reached inside his shirt for the key. Clutching it in his right hand he stared at it for a minute. This key had caused so many problems. For his father. His mother. And himself.

__

O_o I have no idea what the heck I'm gonna write after this. Nor do I know what I'm writing at the moment. o_o;;; Got any ideas, anyone? Review pretty please?


	5. Birthdays

The glorious sun had gone down about half an hour ago. Now the crisp evening air settled upon the earth as silence claimed the abandoned streets. It was dark except for the dim lights streaming from the house. He shifted to a different position on the grass. He closed his eyes and rested his head back onto the tree trunk. _YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS! _ His mind screamed at him. _Stop feeling sorry for yourself!_

"Hey man...you all right?" His eyes opened to meet the eyes of the all too kind Ben Sallas, his cousin and one of his best friends. 

"Yeh, fine," he mumbled. 

Ben took a seat next to him. "What's that?" Motioning to the old-fashioned possession in his lap.

He blinked and looked down in his lap. He took a moment before hesitantly answering, "It was my mom's." It wasn't really a lie. It was technically his mother's.

Ben must've hit a nerve because a unnatural silence surrounded the two. Noticing it, Ben changed the subject. "Hey I have a friend, her birthday is coming up in a couple of days. She's gonna throw a pretty impressive party... well from what I heard anyway. You wanna come?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "You have a friend? A _female_ friend? Just a week after we settled into a new country and just two days after we started school?"

Ben put on an offended expression. "Hey! I'm good looking, it's not that hard to believe, is it?" 

His friend choked out 'self-centered' in between mocking coughs. Ben laughed as he patted his childhood friend on the back a couple of times. "You might wanna see a doctor about that nasty cough." 

He chuckled, "Now really, who is she?"

"Do you remember the pen-pal project last year? Well, lets just say I actually kept in touch with my pen-pal." Ben said as he got up and turned to face his friend. "Anyhow, you gonna come eat? We're gonna have dinner soon. It's salad and lasagna."

"Nah, I'm not that hungry. I think I'm going to turn in for the night...and I guess I'll come to that party, I don't have anything better to do." He said, also getting up, box in hand. They started to walk toward the house.

Finally they reached the back door. "All right cool, it's two days from now, on Saturday. And hey, if you feel hungry later, you can raid the kitchen." Ben said as he walked into the dining room.

He turned around and wearily walked up to his room, for a goodnights sleep.

Meiling groaned into her pillow. _Two days, there was two days to find a present for Tomoyo._ Being friends for five years, didn't exactly help in deciding what her present should be. Tomoyo was going to be throwing a party on Saturday, and today was Wednesday. She frowned, she didn't really feel like going to any social gatherings. She'd much rather stay home and poke around the house. _But it would do good for you to go out,_ her mind told her. She scowled her mind for being right. 

The voice at her door sent Meiling jumping. She could see a figure's shadow underneath her door. Wei's voice floated through the door, "Meiling, it's dinner time, come down and eat." 

She called out to the retreating shadow of a familiar, older man, "I'll be down in a second." 

Hopping out of her tangled covers, she shivered as the wind blew at her through her open window. She tiptoed over to shut it, and gasped as she saw the enchanting sky glimmer with a million fiery-white orbs. Smiling, she quietly shut the window and hurried down the stairs for dinner.

Two days later, the Saturday morning sun hit Tomoyo Daidouji's face as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Suddenly, she jumped up grinning. Today was her birthday. Her 16th birthday! With a broad smile, she ran a brush through her hair and changed into a light yellow and blue sun-dress. Once she was done, she wandered out into the cold hallway with the smooth wooden floor. Tomoyo slid down the marble banister as she laughed gleefully and thought about the party, which was tonight. Landing with a gentle thud, she walked into the dining room for breakfast, with a content smile on her face.

  
After breakfast, Tomoyo sat waiting for Eriol to come help her prepare for the party. She smiled and walked with a little bounce to the door and opened it. On the other side stood the immaculate Eriol Hiiragizawa. He had a wide grin on his face. 

"Well," Eriol said after a moment. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Oh! Gomen!" Tomoyo smiled sheepishly. "Come in, come in!"

She stared at what he was holding with careful thought, "A little to the right." 

Obeying, he did as she wished.

"Move it up," commanded her unsatisfied voice.

Frowning, he moved it up. 

"No...that doesn't look right. Tilt it to the left a little." Her fingers were held away from her in a square shape, as she eyed the banner. 

Groaning he started to complain, "Daidouji-san!" But he complied to her request anyway. "We've been doing this for over an hour!"

"Don't exaggerate Hiiragizawa-kun." She mumbled. She surveyed the banner once more and then smiled. "Perfect." 

His face broke into a smirk, "Who me?"

She rolled her eyes while she turned and walked down the stairs toward her back yard. "No, I was talking about your unsightly behind."

He wiggled a finger at her. "Tsk tsk...Daidouji-san! Just what are your eyes doing there?" He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her, "Well, at least I know your looking there."

She fumed at him blushing, while they glared at each other. Then suddenly after a minute or two, they burst out laughing. 

"Who would want to look _there _anyway, Hiiragizawa-kun?" She said as she plopped herself down on a big lawn chair. Eriol smiled to himself and took a seat next to her.

Before he could answer, a bubbly Sakura ran through the back doors and toward the two. She had a smiling Meiling and a scowling Syaoran behind her. Tomoyo and Eriol stood up to greet the trio.

"Hey, Tomoyo, Eriol!" Sakura gave her best-friend a big hug and handed her a box wrapped in white with pink ribbons. "Happy Birthday Tomoyo!!!" 

Meiling gave Tomoyo a hug too. "Yeh! Happy Sweet-16 Tomoyo-chan!" Meiling said as she handed her a small box gift wrapped with yellow happy birthday wrapping-paper. "You better like it! I spent a lot of time thinking of what to get you!" 

"Arigato Sakura, Arigato Meiling." Tomoyo beamed.

"Syaoran...your turn." Meiling whispered, nudging him.

"I hope you like it, I didn't know what else to get you Tomoyo," Syaoran said smiling a bit. 

"Arigato, Syaoran!" Tomoyo replied smiling while she accepted the gift. 

Sakura smiled at them all. "Now that's over with, lets continue with the decorating!" 

Sakura gave Tomoyo a look as if for permission. Tomoyo nodded. Sakura smiled and opened her bag, out flew a yellow blob. 

"Fooooooood!" He yelled as he plunged toward a table full of pastries.

__

Hm...heh! Well, that was odd... O_o;; Erm...does anyone want cliff hangers...? I can write some if ya like...hm...::deep in thought:: well R&R! thanks!


	6. Understanding

__

AN: A huge thanks to Cardcaptor girl for helping me pick out a ending to this chapter. ^_^ But there is still more to come in this story! Ohh and for those of you that don't understand chapter 4...well it'll all work out in later chapters, you'll see what I mean! Please R&R! :D 

Oh and email me any suggestions or criticisms at lil808angel@hotmail.com! 

Brilliant lights. Deafening music. Dancing teenagers. This scene occurred in Tomoyo's back yard exactly an hour or so ago. The party had ended. People were slowly trudging out of the Daidouji back yard, leaving immense amounts of rubbish and such all over it. Several teenagers sat in a relatively clean spot surveying the damage that the guests had done.

"Oh man, Tomoyo, your people are going to have fun cleaning this!" Ben said shaking his head with a laugh while he claimed a seat at the foot of the tree. Eriol, who sat near him, frowned slightly at the casual way he had used Tomoyo's first name. 

"Well, if you're feeling sorry for them, perhaps you should help them." Tomoyo suggested with an amused smile. She turned her head toward him as she laid on the grass in front of him, her body toward the heavens. 

He shot her a 'are you crazy?' look. "No way!" He glanced at the massive yard and shook his head. "No, no, no, no, forget I said anything." 

Shawn smirked at his friend from his spot, which was near Tomoyo. "No, really Ben, I think you should help them. I know how you love to keep things clean. Remember, the time when I fell down and came into your room drenched in mud? You went berserk and ran out of the room! You were mad at me for a week for getting your carpet dirty!" Sakura and Tomoyo started to laugh when Shawn received sharp glares from the red head. 

"I just liked to be clean! That's all! Plus, we were young. It doesn't count." Ben said frowning.

Sakura smiled and sat up from her spot near him. "Of course it counts!" 

"Yeh, you had rational thought back then. You knew what you were doing," Eriol stated. "You ran away from the big scary swamp monster." Everyone burst out laughing except for Ben, who wore a pout on his face.

Ben looked up at the sky and said dramatically, "Why, why, why do I always get picked on??" 

Without warning a bucket of ice cold water was dumped on him by someone sitting in the tree. Ben instantly reacted by jumping up and yelling, "AHH! SHIT!!! THAT'S COLD!!!"

Voices around him broke into laughter at this and scrambled to get out of the way as the water splashed. 

The laugher subsided as they heard two voices arguing on the other side of the yard.

"I gave you my blessing by leaving you alone didn't I?! You of all people should believe me when I say that I'm happy!" Yelled a voice, sounding quite irritated. 

"How would I know? We _never_ talk anymore!" The other voice responded with a growl. "Your still my best friend! I worry about you 'cause you _always_ lock yourself in your room and never associate with me or Wei! Either that or you go out!"

Enraged the first voice retorted back. "What! You can't handle it that I'm actually getting on with my life??" She gave a glare and continued. "And what are you whining about I do talk to you _and _Wei!"

The other figure scoffed. "Yeh but are they actual conversations? No. Tell me the last time we actually _talked _Meiling!"

The group across the lawn watched uncomfortably as the argument got more and more heated between the two teenagers. Soon both started to position themselves into a combating stance. They group looked at each other and without a word they all got up and ran across the lawn.

When they got there, the two were already throwing punches and kicks at each other rapidly. They appeared to be professional fighters during a serious sparring match, but it was too intense to be so. Both teenagers were moving at amazing speed and occasionally a fist or a foot made contact with the other's body. 

Meiling launched another punch at Syaoran as he dodged and threw a kick at her mid-section. She turned around grabbed his foot and flipped him. He grunted as he flipped through the air and landed on his feet in a crouched stance. He lunged for her again fist heading for her stomach, this time he succeeded and he knocked the wind out of her. She looked up and glared at him in her recoiled position. Quickly recovering she kneed him in the gut as she spun around and gave him a harsh kick towards his shoulder. 

It was then that the group of teenagers stopped gaping at the spectacle and tried to get into stop the fight. The person who dumped water on Ben, Scott, walked out and caught Meiling's clenched fist as she was about to fling it into Syaoran's face. Her eyes grew narrow as she saw a stranger stop her from what she desired to do. 

Scott's eyes imitated her's as he tried to keep her away from her adversary.

From behind him, Syaoran recovered from the shock to his shoulder and growled. "Stay out of this. This is between Meiling and I."

Sakura's eyes showed concern as she cautiously took Syaoran's arm and tugged him unwillingly toward Tomoyo's mansion. He pulled away from her gently, walking tentatively toward Meiling and the stranger that popped out of nowhere. Eriol stepped in front of him and blocked his path toward the small girl. He shot Eriol a piercing look of pure venom. 

"Syaoran, please." Sakura's voice pleaded. 

She gave it another try when she saw Scott having trouble trying to restrain Meiling from lurching at Syaoran and Eriol trying to keep Syaoran from charging at Meiling. "Please Syaoran...you're going to kill each other." 

Syaoran broke his fierce staring match with Meiling and looked at Sakura. He looked at her eyes for what seemed like a forever. Something in his eyes shimmered with realization for a split second. He glanced at Meiling with a look of distress, looking regretful of what he just did, and started toward the house reluctantly. Sakura, Tomoyo and Ben followed him apprehensively not knowing what to do, leaving Eriol, Scott, Shawn and Meiling under the calm midnight-blue sky.

Meiling's eyes flashed with anger as her eyes flickered from Scott to Syaoran and back. His eyes caught hers and she stared into Scott's faded gray eyes for a moment. She blinked as something in her mind clicked. Slowly tears started to overflow her big crimson eyes. 

"I'm sorry." She whispered softly.

Scott was watching her reaction the whole time. Her fists was still in his grasp for he was afraid of how she'd react, but her head was turned downwards. He heard what she whispered and wondered at what she was sorry about, the fight or something else. 

He didn't know what the relationship between the two were, but they were very skilled fighters, that he could see. They had near-identical fighting styles too, which confirmed one of his notions, they either train or trained together. They were probably friends, or maybe even more, that he wasn't so sure about. Suddenly she jerked herself from his firm hold and ran inside the Daidouji mansion. 

Silence enveloped the four as Syaoran stood at a window and stared into the panorama of the night sky. Syaoran felt evil at what he just did to Meiling. He didn't know what came over him, he was just acting on instinct...

Sakura was about to raise a hand to his shoulder when Tomoyo stopped her with a silent shake of her head. Suddenly a figure broke the somber atmosphere by running through the living room and crashing into Syaoran. 

Syaoran fell backwards into the wall. He hissed when his head hit the cold hard surface, but his gazed softened when he looked down to see a crying Meiling sobbing against his chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist and she kept whispering "I'm sorry." 

Three figures ran in from the back door a moment later, stopped in their tracks and just stared, surprised at the scene before them. 

Syaoran sighed and started to stroke the top of her hair whispering soothing thoughts into her ear. This reminded him of their childhood, whenever she would run crying into his arms he would comfort her and she would lay against his chest. He looked up at the other's shocked expressions. He knew what they were thinking, _You guys were just fighting, and now you're hugging each other??_ He knew they wouldn't understand. 

Gently he sat down on the floor with his arm around Meiling. "Shhh...It's gonna be okay Mei." Meiling's eyes shot up to meet his at the childhood nickname. 

"I'm sorry Syao...I really am..." She whispered burying her head against his chest once more. 

"I know Mei...I know." He responded. His eyes met Sakura's emerald ones. She looked confused and a bit hurt. Brief moments of pain passed through his heart from seeing her confused and hurt expression. He looked down at Meiling again and tucked some raven hair behind her ears. Syaoran gazed at the girl in his arms, she was different. Not the girl he grew up with, somehow between her transferring to Japan and now, she'd grown up. He was confused to what led her to grow up so fast, but in the back of his mind he knew. He knew it was him.

Not only was Syaoran confused, all those present in that room were confused too. They saw Syaoran and Meiling fighting as if to their deaths, a couple minutes ago...but now, here they were in a tight embrace, one being comforted by the other. 

Leaving well enough alone, Sakura silently stepped out the front door, into the night. 

"Wait!" Tomoyo yelled after her, but Sakura didn't even look back. Tomoyo felt helpless, Sakura just left? Without saying goodbye to anybody? That isn't like her. She must be really dejected or angry or upset. Tears started to cloud her normally placid violet eyes, she wanted to help her friends, but there was nothing she could do anymore. Swiftly she wiped her eyes with her sleeves, hoping nobody noticed. 

Turning her eyes back to everybody, she could see that Syaoran wanted to get up and go after Sakura, but he didn't want to disturb Meiling, who still laid in his arms. So he stayed. Syaoran couldn't understand why he chose to stay instead of going after the love of his life, but he did. And hopefully, he wouldn't have to regret it later. 

Giving Eriol a meaningful look, Tomoyo pleaded Eriol with a pair of pained eyes. Eriol sighed, nodding and quickly walked out the front door after Sakura. 

Feeling out of place, Ben went over to where Tomoyo was and gently squeezed her shoulders with his hand, trying to comfort her. He whispered in her ear, "Are you okay? Let's leave them alone and get you a drink okay?"

She smiled meekly and nodded. Ben motioned for Shawn and Scott to follow as he led Tomoyo to the kitchen. 

__


	7. Unleashed

__

AN: Mwahahaha, I finally figured out where this fic is going. ^____^ Well...hope ya like this chapter! Please R&R, I'll be forever grateful. :D 

::Sigh:: I found some mistakes...again O__O;; Why does this always happen? _

"Sakura!" She froze and looked down at the concrete sidewalk, waiting for the person to catch up with her.

"You...okay?" She nodded briskly, her chestnut hair falling around her face. 

"Look at me Sakura," Eriol demanded. 

Emotion-filled green eyes met a pair of calm and composed dark blue ones. "He cares about you too Sakura-chan..."

Sakura gave him a pained smile, "I know...I just feel so...bad because I never knew this was happening between them. I didn't know!" Again she hung her head down. "How can I be such a bad friend Eriol?"

To her surprise Eriol chuckled. She frowned and looked up, baffled at his reaction. "You're not a bad friend Sakura." His expression turned serious. "They didn't tell any of us, it was hard for us to know. Much less help them. But look at it this way, now that we do know they're having problems, we can try and help," he suggested giving her a smile. 

A small smile crept onto her face, "We can plan a picnic! And then we can say we have to leave and let them talk! They'll be best friends again in no time!" Sakura's mind brewed with more plans to get the two to become best friends again. It would've done Tomoyo proud to see her coming up with such cunning ideas. 

*****(AN: Okay...I'm gonna fast forward this...it is now 6 months later. :P)*****

March 10

Dear journal,

It's been six months! Can you believe it?? It's been six whole months since I was depressed and I had that huge fight with Syaoran. Almost half a year journal...but I'm all better now! Yep. Much better. I feel a indescribable feeling when I'm around my friends. Even Sakura! I feel happy and accepted. Now...I don't mind as much when they go out. I'm sorry I haven't been writing. I've been very busy! I have many new friends! All of them are very nice. But one them, who I'm closer with is very much stubborn, and sometimes he's too stubborn for his own good. And no, none of them are Syaoran. I know you're anxious to hear about them, so I won't be mean and keep the information from you! Remember that boy at the antique shop? Ohh, how I hated him for taking that perfect gift from me. ...But! His friends and I are all good friends now! Can you believe it? I have to admit it is pretty weird, but I find them so interesting! I mean them being from a different country and all. Ohh...Well Syaoran's calling me, it's time for school! I'll promise to write again soon! 

Love, Meiling Li

The once sad and gloomy girl, ran downstairs to the waiting Syaoran with a burst of energy. 

"Hey Syaoran!!" She greeted him with a quick peck on the cheek, grabbed a bowl of cereal and started to shove the breakfast down her throat. 

He smiled at the cheerful girl. "Morning Meiling. Someone's happy this morning."

Meiling nodded rapidly. "Yemh da guysh ar takin' meph ouph tonightp." 

"Maybe you'd like to try that again after you swallow that," Syaoran said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

She swallowed quickly and shot him a grin. "The guys are taking me out tonight."

"Oh? Where to?" Syaoran asked casually. He still didn't entirely trust Meiling's some-what new friends. For some reason one of them reminded him a bit too much of...well...himself. Stubborn and distant. Wild and rebellious. That pretty much described them all. Although they were good kids, they just tend to get into a bit more trouble than other people.

"I'm not sure myself, they said it was going to be a surprise, plus Tomoyo is going to be there too." Meiling pause a moment before wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at him, "And what are _you_ and Sakura doing tonight, hmm?" 

Syaoran tried hard to keep himself from blushing at her suggestive comment. "Nothing Meiling! Young girl's shouldn't be thinking things like that, much less suggest it!"

Meiling gave him an innocent smile and just shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn't doing anything, you're the one that said it." 

His eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. "But-"

He was cut off by Meiling's giggles as she walked past him with her backpack. "I'm just kidding Syaoran. Lighten up!" She leaned closer to him, her mouth right next to his ear, "And maybe Sakura will..." she dropped her voice to a low whisper, so that nobody but him could hear. She had the pleasure of watching his eyebrow twitch more and his face grow a rosy color of red. 

With uncontrollable laughter she walked clumsily out the front door, "Oh yeh! Could you please put my dishes in the dishwasher? Thanks!" 

It took Syaoran to realized what had happened. She left him with the dishes _again_! "Meiling!!" He yelled after her, loud enough for her to hear. 

From about a block away Meiling broke into giggles again. She turned around and blew him a kiss before running down the street towards the high school. 

The typical scene of a boy sitting under a tree was seen. But this wasn't like any typical scene. The boy was deciding whether or not to make the single most important decision of his life, or that's what his mother said...

**FLASHBACK**

__

"This key opens that box. From what I know, nobody dared to open the box, for they were afraid of what was in there." She went into a small coughing fit; the little boy patted her back gently. She gave him a weary smile before continuing, "Some people in our family believed that it contains a treasure. Others believe that it carries a curse. If you find it, it will be your choice on whether or not you would want to open it." 

The little boy threw his arms around her, "Mama, I don't want you to go. Please don't go. Don't leave me like Papa did." Crystal tears slid down his little cheeks as he sobbed into her dress. "I'll be here, I promise. Whenever you need me I'll be here, I'll always be watching over you don't you worry," she said with a smooth gentle voice, calming him. The boy snuggled his head closer to his mother as he felt her breath in and out. 

**END FLASHBACK**

He shook his head to rid himself of the painful memories. The cerulean eyes seemed to hold the box and the key next to it responsible for everything. _Argh, I don't care, I'm opening it. I want to see what the big deal is about. _

Breathing heavily, he took the key and stuck it inside the lock. With an inaudible 'click,' the box opened. Putting the key back in his pocket, he proceeded to open the box, all the while holding his breath. He braced himself, expecting something evil and ghostly to fly at him. But nothing happened. Raising his eyebrow slightly, he waited a moment, still expecting something to jump out at him.

Although he was pretty sure nothing came out of the antique, something did fly out. It flew towards the highest point in Tomeoda. The clock tower. 

  
At the same moment, Eriol who was playing the piano in the school's music room, hit a wrong note. He froze. Dubiously, he searched with his powers for...something, he didn't even know what he was searching for, but sure enough he found it. It was an aura, something different, yet...it was also oddly familiar. It felt like his own aura, except it had a touch of something to it which he couldn't put a finger on. He contemplated a moment before rushing out of the room. 

Looking dully at the box, the boy couldn't believe there was absolutely _nothing_ in it. Carefully he examines the box, oblivious of his surroundings. Suddenly something jumped out at him. 

"Meiling!! You scared me half to death!" He nearly yelled when he spotted the ebony haired girl.

Meiling winced, "Sheesh, you didn't have to give _me_ a heart attack either." She gave him a look and dropped her backpack on the floor, "Aren't we jumpy today?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry...I was just trying to figure out something."

"Really, what's so interesting that you weren't paying attention to anything around you?"

He handed her the box, and she looked at him stupidly. "Are you mocking me? Just because you bought this first doesn't mean you can mock me," she huffed. 

He laughed quietly at her, "No...I opened it and I couldn't find anything in there."

She stared at him with a crooked smile, amused. "Have you ever thought...that maybe there _was_ nothing in there in the first place...?" 

He shook his head, "No, I'm sure there's something in there. But I can't find anything." 

"Hm..." She looked at it thoughtfully, sat down at the edge of the tree, and tapped her finger lightly on various places of the ancient looking jewelry holder. 

He cocked his head to one side, "What...are you doing?"

"Shhh," she silenced him. He shrugged and leaned against the tree, chewing on a blade of grass.

After numerous taps she smiled, "Hey, come here. I think I found something..."

He sat down next to her and looked at her with a bit of excitement. He watched in anticipation as she pulled the inner lining of velvet off the bottom interior. Then she pushed a corner of the wooden bottom. Her smile grew slyer as the opposite corner popped up. She pulled out the piece of wood and held up the prize. "Ta-da!" It was a beautiful golden locket.

Shawn smiled and tried to grab it from her hand to examine it. But she stopped him. "Nu-uh. Is this why you wanted this," she made a gesture to the now wrecked antique in front of her, "so badly in the first place?" 

He looked at her surprised. "No! I didn't even know there was anything in there...it's just that-"

Meiling cut him off by giggling and tried to pry the locket open. "I was just kidding," she whispered, frowning in concentration at what she was doing. 

"It's a locket..." he stated.

She looked up from what she was doing with an amused smile, "No kidding, Sherlock. Aren't we perceptive today?" She loved teasing him. It was always so fun.

He glared at her and stuck his tongue out. She stifled a giggle and turned back to her work. Finally she wedged it open. Inside was a small picture of a couple. 

"Who's that?" Meiling asked in a faint voice, handing it to him.

"I...don't know." They both stared at it for a while. A chill ran up his spine. A sudden urge to get rid of it overtook him, "Hey Meiling, you want it?"

  
Meiling eyed him, not believing what he said. "You're kidding!"

"Nope, I don't like it that much. Plus why would I want to wear a locket?" He said smiling, holding it in front of her face.

She looked at him suspiciously. "But...can't you sell it for money?"

He shrugged, "I'll offer it as a apology."

"For what?" Meiling asked as she started to gather everything up.

He stood up and offered her a hand, "For what happened the first day we met."

She looked at him doubtfully for a moment before taking his hand. "Deal," she said grinning.

He smiled and started to dig through his backpack. 

"Whatcha looking for?"

He mumbled something inaudible.

"Huh?" Meiling asked in confusion. She watched as he ripped up a small picture of her. "Hey!! Don't do that to me!" she protested.

He took the picture of the couple out of the locket and absentmindedly dropped it on the floor. He then stuck her picture in there. She stood still as he put the locket around her neck. "Stunning," he teased smiling.

She shook her head and started to pull him towards the school. "C'mon Mr. Casanova we're going to be late."

"Hey! What did I ever do to deserve that nickname?" 

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, c'mon. You flirt with _me_ and I'm one of your best friends!"

"So...that's not a crime." He said grinning at her good-naturedly. 

Not too far behind them, a swirling ball of midnight blue formed in the outline of a woman. With a flourished but graceful gesture she picks up the picture of the couple silently. She stares at it for a instant before a ball of dark blue forms in her hand. With a heinous smile she releases it towards the two. She watches with a small malicious smile on her lips as the power covers the two chattering teenagers, but frowns when the power only seeps into the female. With a scowl she disappears in a glance, as if she was never there to begin with.

Neither youth had noticed what just happened, so like any other morning they happily walk to school together enjoying each other's company.


	8. Chilling Mischief

__

AN: Hullo! Heh..._another chapter! Woop for me. I have a feeling this is going to be a long story. o__o;; I didn't mean to write a long fic, but I can't help it! __ _I'm kinda getting more into this story and adding more things to it as the story progresses...or goes on...and on...and on... O_o;;_

__

Well...email me with criticisms or comments at lil808angel@hotmail.com. ^^

Tomoyo stared out the car window. Another day of school over with. Another day of life done. Another day to look forward to. She smiled to herself. 

"Miss Daidouji? We're back." Her bodyguard informed her with a dazzling smile. 

Her gratefulness showed on her face as she looked up at him. "Thank you, Yama." He was young and handsome, probably six or seven years older than she herself was. Her mother had always insisted on young, agile bodyguards for her. Why had her mother not trust someone with more experience was way beyond her understanding.

"Always a pleasure, Miss Daidouji." He gave her a fond look, a look in which usually a brother gave a sister. "Ah, I see someone has bought the Kehashi estate."

Her eyes traveled to the neighboring mansion. 

"Would you like to do our usual neighborly welcome tonight?" Yama asked, a twinkle in his young but wise eyes. 

She grinned up at him while walking with him to the door of her home. "You're more of a kid than I am Yama!"

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Yama opened the door for her with a sweep of his arms and winked. "But I am up for a little fun now and then."

She chuckled and a mischievous smile appeared. "Tonight then?"

"Tonight, Miss."

She looked over to the sound of her tapping window. She grinned and opened it. "Can't use the door like a regular person, eh Yama?" 

He ignored her teasing with a sheepish smile. "So we're going to do this or not?"

A evil gleam in her eyes twinkled, burning brightly. She nodded once, grinning like the Cheshire cat, "Definitely."

Meiling threw her bag onto the floor by the front door and slipped off her shoes. She assumed there was no one home, for both Syaoran and Wei's shoes weren't by the door. She stretched and took a place on the couch in front of the television, sitting in a very un-lady like manner. While channel surfing, she waited for something fascinating to happen to rid her of this boredom. 

Although nothing fascinating did happen, she did get a chill running down her spine. She shrugged it off as nothing and glanced outside, the sun was setting and a luminous sunset spanned the glorious multi-colored sky. Another chill ran down her spine, this time more intense than the first one. Meiling frowned and curled up in a corner of the couch, trying to calm her nerves. Whenever chills ran through someone's spine, it was never a good sign...

She forced her eyes to be glued on the television, but the agitated feeling was still there. Cautiously she made her way to the kitchen and took a couple sips of water, all the while looking nervously about. Meiling shook her head, school must've been getting to her, she was getting too paranoid. Unconsciously she clutched the golden gift that hung about her neck and scurried up the stairs to Syaoran's room. 

Meiling smiled at her surroundings, looking around Syaoran's room. She closed the door softly and took another look around, although it was getting dark, she could still see everything clearly. She knew where everything was by heart. Meiling would never admit it, but Syaoran's room gave her a sort of comfort. Whenever she was scared, sad, or even feeling stressed, she would sit in Syaoran's room and feel safe and content. She didn't know why, but she did. Perhaps it was because Syaoran was one of the most constant things in her life.

Fingering the night stand she took a seat on his bed, still surveying the surroundings. She like to look at all the different things Syaoran had acquired each time she sat in his room. It turned into a sort of fun game. She smiled as she picked up a framed picture of Syaoran and Sakura. They were so perfect for each other, she didn't know how she could've not notice it before. 

A sudden flash of red something crossed through her mind and she dropped the picture, surprised. It cracked into five jagged pieces. The nervous feeling returned, swallowing hard, she knelt down to pick up the large pieces of broken glass.

The ringing of the phone made her yelp and she drop the glass again. Muttering at herself for being paranoid, she went to answer the phone.

"H-hello?" Meiling asked, a bit alarmed. Not of who might be on the phone, but of the returning fidgety feeling she couldn't shake.

A sharp voice rang through, loud and clear, "Meiling? Is that you?"

"Yes, who might this be?" she asked a bit confused.

"Meiling, pack up now. You're coming to Hong Kong." Meiling recognized the voice. It was the Head of the Li Clan, her grandfather. He was one of the _only_ people on the face of the earth that could intimidate her. To say the least, he scared her, his authorical poise and attitude had always made him something to be afraid of.

"B-but Grandfather Li, Syaoran and We-" 

She was cut off as his commanding voice told her what to do, "Meiling, you will pack up now, don't worry about Syaoran and Wei. They'll come later, but now we need you here."

Meiling was confused, very confused. She clutched the locket around her neck again, "Why Grandpa Li? I like it here..."

She heard her grandfather snap cutting off her mumbling, "Meiling!" 

He sounded mad. She gulped. "O-okay Grandpa...when am I leaving...?"

His voice grew gentler, it sounded tired, "In an hour Meiling. And don't worry, you're going to go back to Japan, if you want to later." Meiling said nothing, so he continued, "Hurry and pack, the private plane will be waiting for you." 

She frowned at the gentle and tired voice of her grandfather. She never heard him speak like that. He always spoke harshly and with authority, to make sure he always gets his point across to everybody. 

When more of her silence was heard he said a bit harshly, "Meiling! Are you listening? Don't be late!"

She mumbled a affirmative 'yes,' to tell him that she heard him. Before she could ask again why she was needed, she heard a click, signaling that he had hung up. Wearily she hung up too and walked up to her room to begin her packing. Why would the Li Clan need _her_ there? If they needed someone, wouldn't Syaoran have been a better choice? She hoped something bad didn't happen. Another icy shiver ran up her spine at her last thought. She bit her lip, and dragged out a suitcase.

Tomoyo and Yama laughed silently as they threw streamers into the air and watched it get caught on the tips of the roof. Tiptoeing silently to the front porch of the immense house, Tomoyo wrapped the various-colored streamers around the Corinthian columns of the classical facade. 

Yama smiled and jumped into the air, aiming a streamer at Tomoyo. Tomoyo just stuck her tongue at him as she caught it and began to weave the streamer professionally through the eight columns of the porch. Yama held back a laugh, he couldn't wait to see the face of their neighbors when they opened the door to see what he and Tomoyo had done to their house in the morning. 

Leaning by the door he stared as Tomoyo continued to have her fun. She was smiling and giggling like a kid. The pearly moon showered it's ethereal light upon her, making her amethyst eyes twinkle like jewels. The light was showing off her womanly body, as she jumped around, the wind tugged at her clothing, revealing some things he hadn't notice before. 

A goofy smile upon his lips, he got lost in thought until Tomoyo hissed into his ear and tugged at his arm, "Yama!!!" Losing his balance he fell on top of her just as the light of the porch turned on and the door creaked opened. He gulped, and looked down at Tomoyo. She had the same horror-stricken look on her face as she looked up at him. He closed his eyes and whispered a quick prayer, he didn't want to get fired, she was one of his only friends, even if she was his superior.

The person that opened the door looked at them and coughed loudly. Then the person turned it's attention to their porch. In a calm manner the person looked back down at the two sheepish people on the floor. "What exactly is the meaning of this?" the voice had a disturbing stillness to it, outlined with a slightly irate tone.


	9. Traitor's Revenge

__

AN: _ I wanna stop writing this story already it's getting blahhh...but I'll continue it I guess, I can't leave it unfinished. ::sigh:: R&R please...

Well...email me with criticisms or comments at lil808angel@hotmail.com. ^^

__

Her lips were in a thin line as she boarded the private jet. The more she thought about it, the weirder it seemed that the Clan needed her home. Questions wracked her brain, trying to figure out logical reasons for the sudden turn of events. 

Meiling settled back into the chair with her eyes still on the ground, as it got farther and farther away.

Clumsily Yama got to his feet, helping Tomoyo up at the same time. It was then that Tomoyo got a good look at the face of the stranger before her. She did a double-take. Her eyes grew wide as she gaped at the stranger before her. 

Surprised, she forget all formalities and blurted out his name, "Eriol!" She murmured his name again and bowed deeply, "E-Eriol-kun! Gomen nasai...I...We didn't mean to...it's just that when there's someone new in town we like to have a little fun at their expense. If I knew it was you, I...We wouldn't have done it gomen...." she said while gesturing to his porch and giving him a helpless look. 

Tomoyo stopped rambling when she heard his chuckle. "It's quite all right Tomoyo-chan, I assure you." He paused and smiled at her with teasingly, "May I call you Tomoyo? I mean you did called me Eriol-kun."

She blinked. She hadn't noticed she used his name with such forwardness. Tomoyo turned a bit pink at that and nodded, embarrassed. 

"Who's this?" Eriol smiled as he gestured to the man next to her. 

"Oh! This is my bodyguard, Yama." Tomoyo jabbed the browned hair lad next to her with her elbow. He took her hint and bowed deeply to Eriol. Amused, Eriol bowed back. "Yama this is Eriol...he's a friend of mine from school..." she trailed off and they were thrown into a stilled silence.

Eriol broke the awkward silence by clearing his throat, "Do you always welcome your neighbors like this? I didn't know you were like that..." 

Tomoyo smiled sheepishly at him. "Well, " she looked at Yama standing beside her, who looked a little left out, "Yama and I have had this tradition for a while. It really is quite funny to see the reactions of the people when they see their property in the morning."

"I can clean up your porch if you want, I won't mind. I mean it was my fault anyway, I suggested to Tomoyo that we do this tonight," Yama offered, looking a bit sorry.

Eriol chuckled and shook his head. "No, no. Don't worry about it, I'll just have Nakuru and Spinel get it in the morning."

Tomoyo frowned at Yama, "It wasn't all your idea! Don't take all the credit!"

"Well, Princess Tomoyo, I don't think you'd want your mother to find out how you've been terrorizing your new neighbors." Eriol had a mischievous smile plastered on his face. Yama laughed out loud.

Tomoyo scowled at both of them suspiciously. "You're both working in on a conspiracy to spite me aren't you?"

Yama bowed deeply and grinned at her. "Gomen. I actually didn't think you liked to do hard work, _Princess Tomoyo_ so I offered."

Eriol and Yama grinned at the sight of the fuming Tomoyo.

With a 'hmph' she stalked back down the steps and towards her mansion.

Yama looked at Eriol, worry etched in his face as he watched her retreating form. "Think we went to far?"

Eriol smiled triumphantly, "Nope, she deserved it. She really is quite bossy sometimes if you get to know her, it feels good to get back at her." 

Yama nodded knowingly and smiled apologetically at the blue haired boy. "Gomen about your porch, if you need any help with it, I'll be happy to help."

Eriol brushed it off, "Don't worry about it." Yama bowed once before following Tomoyo back to her house. 

Just as Meiling was stepping off the plane, one of her cousins grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a limousine. 

"Hey!! Let go!! I can walk myself!!" Her outbursts caused others to look their way as they walked. 

Meiling tried yelling at her loudest but there was no answer from her stiff cousin. "Hey, do you talk?"

The only answer Meiling received was a glare.

During the ride to her former home, nobody spoke to her. Not even so much as to utter a 'Welcome back Meiling.' They were nice and courteous but very quiet. This was getting weirder and weirder by the minute.

She barely had time to unpack, for right when she got to her room, someone was sent to retrieve her. She fidgeted as she walked to her grandfather's room. Nervous of what was going to happen. Quietly she opened the doors to find her grandfather sitting on a chair, looking pale.

Curious she walked closer, "Grandfather Li?"

Grandfather opened his eyes and peered at her, "Meiling, I'm so glad you came. Have a seat."

Without a word Meiling sat down in a chair opposite from his. She was about to open her mouth to rid them of the silence when he spoke, "Meiling, your father is a traitor."

"Traitor?" she echoed, confused.

"Yes traitor."

"Traitor to what?" she asked her confusion growing.

"To us." 

Meiling narrowed her eyes and looked at him with anger, "No Grandfather Li. He's just a traitor to you. You've never liked him. Ever since mother got married to him, you've always had something against him. Now that he's done something wrong you single him out as a traitor. He's _not_ a traitor, he's my father!!"

He slammed his hand on the table. His sharp voice cut through the heavy tension. "No Meiling! He's a traitor to all of us!!"

She looked at him with defiant ruby eyes. "And you want me to tell you where he is perhaps? Or you want to use me to bend his will?"

"No. We don't want to use you. We just need you here, in case he does anything he might regret." He stood up and walked around to her, bending down to her level. "We just want you safe."

Meiling ignored his comment, "So where's my mother?" She crossed her arms, "You have her locked up somewhere to lure him out I suppose?"

He saw something flash through her grandfather's hard eyes. "No, she's...dead"

Her heart pounded in her chest, "Dead?"

Grandfather nodded curtly, "Yes dead."

"B-but but...how?!" Meiling shivered and her shoulders dropped, making her look vulnerable. 

"Why don't you ask your father?" 

Meiling's eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"Yes Mei, that is why we have to protect you. We don't want your father to get you too."

She stalked out of his room without another word and sprinted to hers as a single droplet fell to the floor.

A vase flew across the room and crashed to the floor. Meiling hurled anything she could get a hold of to the wall. Her mother died, how could her mother die? She had promised she'd be there, through it all she would be there. She promised! In the midst of all the destruction, her locket glowed a faint purple. 

Anger gripped Meiling as she sat on the floor and rocked back and forth. She couldn't take it. How can her life go down the drain again? Her mother dead and her father killed her? How can that happen? Now they want to keep her prisoner to lure her father out? This was absurd! Crazy! Illogical! Totally wrong...

  
In nearby rooms, objects began floating and hurling themselves into walls. Then, as if by magic, they picked themselves up and floated back to their set places. A servant girl stared in horror as the objects rearranged themselves slowly, eerily. 

Tomoyo flopped herself onto her bed frowning. She hated to get picked on, especially by guys. A knock on her balcony door caused her to look up suspiciously. Quietly she threw opened the doors to find a bouquet of lavender roses laying there. She smiled softly, without even looking at the card she knew who it was from. Who else could make roses lavender colored?

Meiling sighed. Here comes another crappy day. It's been a week since she had found her mother gone and her father a traitor. She didn't think she'd ever see the day. Her parents had looked so much in love. How could her father kill her mother? It made no sense whatsoever. No sense at all. But Grandfather Li had told her he saw it happen with his own eyes and other family members had confirmed it. So she had no other choice but to believe her father killed her mother. For what reason he would do that she did not know, but what she did know is that even if he is her father, she would get revenge. 

That's what Grandfather Li had told her anyway. He told her that she would have to get revenge for her mother and for the Li Clan. It would be her mission. She had solemnly agreed to it at her mother's funeral and now she'd have to stick by it. She can't refuse it now, for she would be seen as weak and cowardly. And probably be disowned if she refused.

She brushed the tombstone with her fingertips. How she missed her parents. How she missed her life. A tear slid down her cheek and dripped onto the dead floor of the ground. She sat there a moment before standing up and blowing a kiss to the grave. 

"I love you mother," she whispered as she walked away.

A moment later, the spot where her tear drop fell suddenly bloomed. In the place of barren dirt was a dozen violet flowers. 


End file.
